Manufacture and treatment of textile fabrics



Patented May 15, 1934 monomer m ma'n lan'r or 'rnx'rnn FABRICS William Alexander Dickie and Robert Wighton Moncrleif, Spondon, near Derby, England. as-

signora to Celanese Corporation of America, a

corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application April 12, 1930, Serial No. 443,915. In Great Britain June 11'. 1929 13mins.

jecting a mixed fabric of cotton and acetyl cellulose to the action of dilute nitric acid. The cot-v ton threads in the composite fabricdo not shrink under the action of the nitric acid, andasa result of the shrinkage of the cellulose acetate 15 threads coupled with the non-shrinkage of "the cotton threads, a fabric of characteristic crepelike appearance is produced. Where cotton warp and cellulose acetate weft are employed, a material closely resembling crepe-de chine can be obtained. I

As is well-known, cotton and cellulose acetate display different afllnities for diflerent classes of dyestuffs and colouring matters, direct cotton dyes, for example, having little or no aflinity for cellulose acetate. Difllculties are therefore experienced in dyeing composite fabrics containing cotton and cellulose acetate-to a uniform tint, and for this reason, processes .of the character outlined above for the production of crepe-like materials from mixed fabrics containing cotton and cellulose acetate threads havefound only limited application. I

The present invention resides in the manufacture and industrial application of a fabric comprising yarns or threads of cellulose acetate or other esters or organic derivatives of cellulose, a selected number of said yarns or threads having already been treated with a shrinking agent and the remainder of said yarns or threads beingin the normal unshrunk condition. Upon the application of a shrinking agent to this fabric, differential shrinkage of the yarns or threads takes place, and a fabric presenting crepe, semi-crepe, pebble or like effects is produced. Inasmuch as the presence of cotton or other unshrinkable threads is not requisite, it is possible, by the use of the invention, to produce crepe or crepe-like fabrics capable of being dyed to a level shade.

In carrying the invention into eifect as applied I to the production of materials consisting wholly of cellulose acetate yarns or-threads a fabric is prepared by weaving together normal unshrunk cellulose acetate yarns or threads and cellulose veniently, the shrunk yarns or threads are prepared by immersing cellulose acetate yarns or threads in hank form in nitric acid of appropriate concentration. The duration of the treatment depends upon the concentration of the nitric acid, 00 and the temperature at which it is employed. In one series of operations, using nitric acid of 20 Tw. at C., or nitric acid of 36 Tw. at normal temperatures, a treatment of about 5 minutes was found to be effective. When nitric acid 0144' cc Tw. "was employed at normal temperatures a similar effect was produced by an operation of 3 minutes duration.

In treating the fabric with nitric acid substantially similar conditions'to those adopted for 7o shrinking the cellulose acetate threads incorporated therein may be employed.

After theshrinking operation the material is thoroughly washed and dried.

The fabrics to be treated in accordance with n the process of the invention may be constructed in any desired manner. 1 For instance the shrunk yarns or threads may alternate with the unshrunk yarns or threads. intheweft,orinthewarp-,orinboth. This alternation may be regular, for example an alternation of two shrimk yarns or threads and two unshrunk yarns or threads, or it may be in the form of checks, stripes or even complicated designs such as are obtained by the use of Jacquard looms. The fabrics may, for example have a warp consisting wholly of shrunk yarns or threads or wholly of unshrunk yarns or threads while the weft may be constructed by the alternation of two picks of unshrunk yarns or threads to two picks of shrunk yarns or threads. On the other hand, the weft may consist wholly of either shrunk or unshrunk yarns orthreads while the warp is made up'of the two yarns or threads.

*The reagent employed for causing shrinkage 5 may be applied to the whole surface of the fabric or it may be applied locally, e.- g. in the form of a paste or by brushing or spraying on to stencils, so that the effect is obtained on certain predetermined portions of the fabric.

According to the number and arrangement of the already shrunk yarns or threads incorporated in the fabric, and according to the manner of application of the shrinking agent, a wide range of fabrics of pleasing characteristics can be obtained.

The following example indicates one manner of carrying the invention into efl'ect-as applied to a fabric composed of cellulose acetate yarns or no Patent is:-

Example A hank of cellulose acetate yarn or thread is immersed in nitric acid of 44 Tw. at room temperature for about 3 minutes, and afterwards carefully washed and dried. A fabric is then made by using a shrunk cellulose acetate warp and a weft comprising two picks of unshrunk cellulose acetate yarn or thread alternating with two picks of a cellulose'acetate yarn or thread whichhas been shrunk. by treatment with nitric acid. The fabric so produced is scoured and treated for two minutes with nitric acid of 40 Tw. at room temperature, and finally washed and dried. The fabric so produced presents very pleasing .pebble effects.

' The crepe or crepe-like fabric produced in accordance with the invention can be dyed to uniform shades, and can be loaded or subjected to any of the usual finishing treatments.

Effect threads not composed of organic derivatives of cellulose can be incorporated in the fabric during the weaving operation.

The invention includes the fabrics described, both before and after the application of the shrinking agent, as well as the processes described for their production, and is not limited to fabrics comprising cellulose acetate yarns or threads.

The yarns or threads comprised in the said fabrics may be composed of artificial filaments having a basis of a cellulose ether, for example,

methyl, ethyl or benzyl cellulose, or of any cellulose ester, for example, cellulose propionate or butyrate.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters 1. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a fabric composed of both shrunk and un-' shrunk yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose with a shrinking agent for said unshrunk yarn.

2. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising-treating at least part of a fabric composed of both shrunk and unshrunk yarns of cellulose acetate with a shrinking agent for said unshrunk yarn.

3. Process forv the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a fabric composed of both shrunk and unshrunk yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose with a shrinking agent comprising'an aqueous solution of nitric acid.

organic derivative of cellulose yarns to the ac- I tion of a shrinking agent for said unshrunk yarn.

6. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, which comprises subjecting to the shrinking action of an aqueous solution of nitric acid, fabrics woven from unshrunk yarns of cellulose acetate and yarns of cellulose acetate which have been shrunkwith an aqueous solution of nitric acid.

'1. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a woven fabric, both warp and weft whereof are composed of an organic derivative of cellulose.

and"in at least one of which shrunk yarns alternate with unshrunk yarns, with a shrinking agent.

8. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a woven fabric, both warp and weft whereof are composed of cellulose acetate and in at least one of which shrunk yarns alternate with unshrunk yarns, with a shrinking agent.

9. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a fabric composed of both shrunk and unshrunk yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose with a shrinking agent comprising an aqueous solution of nitric acid of a concentration between 25 and 45 Tw. for a period of between one and five minutes and at a temperature of between 0 and 60 C.

10. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a fabric composed of both shrunk and unshrunk yarns of cellulose acetate with a shrinking agent comprising an aqueous solution of nitric acid of a concentration between 25 and 45 Tw. for a period of between one and five minutes and at a temperature of between 0 and 60 "C.

11. Process for the production of ornamental I 12. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a woven fabric, both warp and weft whereof are composed of an organic derivative of cellulose and in at least one of which shrunk yarns alternate with unshrunk yarns, with a shrinking agent comprising an aqueous solution of nitric acid of a concentration between 25 and45 Tw. for a 7 period of between 1 and 5 minutes at a temperature of between 0 and 60 C.

13. Process for the production of ornamental fabrics, comprising treating at least part of a woven fabric, both warp and weft whereof are composed of cellulose acetate and in at least one of which shrunk yarns alternate with unshrunk yarns, with a. shrinking agent comprising an aqueous solution of nitric acid 'of a concentration between 25 and- 45 Tw. for a period of between 1 and 5 minutes at a temperature of between 0 and 60 0.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER DICKIE. ROBERT WIGHTON MONCRIEFF.

Lin 

